Polegate Primary School

About Polegate Primary School

Polegate Primary School sits within the East Sussex local authority, in the Wealden borough, and is one of 144 primary schools in the area. Of those, only ten hold an Outstanding rating from Ofsted, and Polegate is one of them. However, when it comes to the key stage 2 benchmark that measures the percentage of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, the school ranks 77th in the local authority, placing it in the bottom half of East Sussex primaries. Its closest performing peers on this metric are St Peter and St Paul CofE Primary School, Catsfield Church of England Primary School and Blackboys Church of England Primary School, all of which score higher on the same ranking. Polegate is a large, mixed, non-faith state primary for children aged 2 to 11, with 692 pupils on roll — well above its official capacity of 630 — and a nursery on site.

In its most recent graded Ofsted inspection, carried out in 2020, Polegate received Outstanding across every category: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. A subsequent ungraded inspection in 2025 confirmed that standards have been maintained. At key stage 2, 57% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, which is slightly below the East Sussex local authority average of 59%. The school’s strongest individual subject was writing, where 78% of pupils reached the expected level, followed by reading at 76% and maths at 66%. At the higher standard, 4% of pupils achieved across all three subjects. Average scaled scores were 104 in reading and 102 in maths, both in line with national averages.

The school is oversubscribed: for 2025/26, it received 164 applications for 86 places, with 82 first-preference offers made. Parents are overwhelmingly positive, with 90% saying they would recommend the school. In the Parent View survey, strong majorities agreed or strongly agreed that their child is happy, feels safe, and that the school has high expectations. The school offers a range of clubs including drama, gardening, choir, chess and coding, and sports such as athletics, swimming and cricket. Facilities include a sensory room, library, ICT suite and dining hall. SEND provision covers a broad spectrum, including support for autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language needs, and social, emotional and mental health difficulties. This is a school that suits families who value a strong Ofsted rating and a wide range of enrichment activities, but who are also realistic about academic outcomes that sit around the local average.

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